1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile telecommunications network and, in particular, to the routing of emergency calls based on subscriber specified data.
2. Description of Related Art
The Emergency Service Bureau (ESB) or more commonly known in the United States as 9-1-1 service provides emergency assistance to a person in dire need of help. In order to minimize the subscriber effort needed in setting up a telecommunications call connection to the appropriate ESB terminal, subscribers have to only dial a unique short number (such as 911 in the United States). However, even with such a rapid call establishment, there are a number of impediments hindering the ESB from providing effective assistance to a mobile subscriber in need. One such impediment is a language barrier between the mobile subscriber and the ESB. Another impediment is a special medical condition of the mobile subscriber which needs to be immediately communicated to the ESB.
With the continuing development of a mobile telecommunications system and especially the Personal Communications System (PCS), mobile subscribers are able to utilize their existing mobile stations and subscriptions while traveling in a foreign country to make and receive mobile calls. However, not all mobile subscribers are able to speak the national language of the visited country. Also, especially around the border areas between two different countries, such as the United States and Mexico, there are an increasing number of telecommunications subscribers who cannot effectively speak the predominant language of the country where they are currently residing or traveling. For those mobile subscribers who cannot fluently speak the national language, having an emergency service operator who can speak the mobile subscribers' native language is an important factor in effectively providing emergency services.
Conventionally, whenever an emergency call is established between a mobile subscriber and an ESB terminal, an ESB operator or dispatcher has to manually determine that the originating mobile subscriber does not speak the national language and accordingly forward the call to another operator capable of handling the necessary foreign language. Moreover, if the mobile subscriber has certain medical conditions, the first ESB operator might have to again forward the call to a properly trained medical personnel. However, such a manual rerouting is disadvantageous because it delays the emergency call connection between the mobile subscriber and the appropriate ESB operator. For the mobile subscriber requesting an emergency call connection, such a delay creates additional frustration and anxiety further aggravating the emergency situation.
Accordingly, there is a need for a mechanism to automatically route an emergency call connection to an ESB terminal capable of effectively handling the situation associated with a particular mobile subscriber.